Doug's (IronMaiden) Chemo Relief Fund - GoFundMe

IRON MAIDEN HOLDINGS AUCTION _ NEWS

It's starting next Monday.

Oh, and there's seven days worth of awesome loot (packs, add-ons, pledge rewards, expired rares, lots, and a castle).

Haven't donated yet? There's still time (a little-bittle) to qualify for rewards, including the auction ($100 donation).

Am I forgetting anything? Oh yeah, most of the details.

Watch this space (I need time to write it up).

All proceeds go to Iron Maiden.

 

Amazing job @Thexedor Markhamm, you're a class act and an incredible advocate. Doug is in our thoughts and prayers.

 

Hear, hear. Thank you for coordinating all this - amazing job. And thank you for the update on Iron Maiden.

 

Prepping the auction...details to come tomorrow.

 

AERIE Fund Presents: Iron Maiden’s Holdings Auction

When: Starting Monday February, 20th

Where: Shroud Marketplace -> AERIE FUND SHOPPE

About:

Now that we have successfully (almost 100%) funded the Iron Maiden Chemo Relief Fund (yay!), it is time for the promised Iron Maiden Holdings Auction! Working with Iron Maiden, I have assembled all of his account holdings (items, lot deeds, add-ons, etc.). Considering there were hundreds, if not over a thousand, different items – it took some time to sort them out. But, I think we are ready to roll.

The Plan:

Each day (starting Monday) I will post roughly 20 items and themed packages. You can see the full list and schedule here. Each day’s auctions will last 1 week from start to finish. So, next Sunday’s auctions (the last wave) will conclude the following Sunday (March 5th). I am staggering this process to guarantee it is managed properly and that all of the $100 donors can take the time they need to select and bid on what they choose and have ample time to bid on multiple auctions.

Reserves:

The million dollar question. I’ve always said that reserves will be determined by our GFM total donation amount to ensure Iron Maiden receives the minimum amount of funds he needs to get his life-saving chemotherapy treatment. With that being said, we are $1000 away from hitting our goal of 25K (and we still have a few days left to pick up some donations – LET’S GET IT DONE)...so, reserves…well…they’re going to be:

Zero. That’s right, no reserves. Nada. Y’all earned it. THANK YOU for the SUPPORT.

Eligibility Requirements & Rules:

1. You must donate a cumulative amount of $100 or more to the Iron Maiden Chemo Relief Fund GoFundMe by Sunday, February 19th to be eligible. This will be verified before an auction is considered won. Any winning bids that are not verifiable by my donation records will be discarded and defaulted to the next highest, verifiable winner. There's still a couple days left to donate, if you want in on the zero reserve auctions, so get to it.

EDIT: Each auction is going to be monitored closely and bids from non-participants will be removed asap, and instead of being closed (at the end) auctions are being suspended to verify accuracy and integrity. We will be matching emails and names from the GoFundMe to the marketplace registration to verify as bids come in. There is also the potentiality that someone who should be allowed to participate in the auction is removed due to registration discrepancies - which is why folks need to register on Shroud Marketplace using their GoFundMe emails, in-game name, and/or Real Name so we can match records.

2. If I cannot verify your donation eligibility (by name, email address, or avatar name), I will make an effort to contact you. If after 24 hours I am not able to reach you or verify your eligibility, the auction will be forfeit to the next winner.


3. Auctions will be suspended at the appropriate time and no late bids will be accepted. Auctions will then go through a review process to make sure 1) the correct winner at the right time is selected and 2) the winner is eligible for auction participation. This means you will not get verification of your win, until I have approved it (which will happen within 24 hours). Don’t worry, you will not be asked to pay for anything, until you receive the ‘Auction Won’ email.


4. Payments must be made within 48 hours of winning an auction. Failure to do so will constitute an auction forfeiture and the next highest, eligible winner will receive the item.


5. Bad bids – sometimes they happen. An extra zero here and there. If this happens to you, please contact Shroud Marketplace to have your bid corrected or revoked immediately.


6. All auction proceeds will be sent to Iron Maiden (Doug) minus Paypal Fees.


Claiming Won Items:

Guys, I’m not going to lie. Handing out over 300 cloaks was a time consuming (but awesome) process – (I got to meet all of you and say thanks). Handing out hundreds of items and packages is an equally daunting task, so I am going to schedule certain times that I will be available to do it. I understand that not everybody will be available at the times I choose to be, but fret not. We will meet in-game as soon as possible. I’ll do my best to accommodate all donors and winners.

A note about Iron Maiden's LOTM Account:

I want to reiterate that although we will be auctioning off 99% of Doug’s holdings, he will keep a presence in game. He will have an account, a modest lot deed, and a couple other essentials befitting a hero so he can continue to be within our community for the long game. I’d also like Iron Maiden to keep his character name (for obvious reasons), and this is where it get's a bit tricky. Character names are tied to accounts, and currently Iron Maiden is tied to his LOTM account.

I am starting a dialogue with Portalarium to see if the Iron Maiden name can be moved to a new account. Or perhaps they can move the LOTM pledge status to a new account that can then be auctioned off. I'm not sure what their process is on this....yet. Due to not having these details worked through at the moment, the stripped LOTM pledge account is not scheduled for auction. The OTHER stripped accounts WILL BE auctioned immediately. And, they will come with physical pledge rewards, titles, emotes and Dev+ access. PLEASE NOTE: Even though the ‘Iron Maiden’ LOTM account itself is not up for sale right now, all of the LOTM in-game rewards ARE being auctioned, so check the listings schedule. Thanks for your patience while we work out the details.

The Final Stretch:

This is it, the final phase in helping Iron Maiden! I can’t believe we’ve come so far in 1 month! And yes, we are going to go WAY above our original goal of 25K after the auctions end. Doug will have access to ALL of the money, even that which is above the 25K he originally requested. Any funds he wishes to donate back to the community will be placed in our 501c3 non-profit org, the AERIE Fund, so we can continue to do good works in NB in a transparent way. Whatever Doug decides to do in this regard will be kept private (unless he gives me permission to share the contribution with all of you).

The Big Finish:

I’ve been invited to speak during Portalarium's BIG SPRING TELETHON on March 9th, where I will be announcing (for the first time) the final amount we have raised to help Iron Maiden (GFM + Auctions), so definitely tune in for that. Let’s all celebrate our AMAZING victory together.

-Thex

CC:

@DarkStarr @Berek @Lord British

Lot Preview Video:

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@Thexedor Markhamm, if you delete the avatar then the name becomes available to another account. I tested this right before persistence because I wanted to see if I could swap names between my avatars. You might need to also delete the avatar from QA as well if it's up (as it currently is).

 

Not trying to be negative, would never wish cancer on anyone. But, chemotherapy is rubbish. When people say someone died of cancer they almost always mean the cancer never went away and the chemo was increased untill the chemo killed them.

Someone who knows this man should get him some cannabis, if he doesnt want to smoke it get him some cannabis oil. If it isnt legal in his state, have a thief type break the law on his behalf, to hell with dying just to follow a government mandate.

If he doesnt want people to know, he doesnt have to tell anyone, he can take it in secret and thank the chemotherapy when his illness goes away.

 

Unless you are a medical expert or cancer research scientist, offering people advice about how to treat their cancer is irresponsible at best.

 

Just to add, it's up to Doug and his family to make that decision and since they already made it much early on - we should respect the choice they made.

 

I totally agree with this. As a medico (not oncologist though) I do know that the claim referred to is false. Cancer is an evil disease, and does kill people. Sometimes complete surgical cure is not possible (spread too far), so they rely on chemotherapy. The aim is to attack tumour cells rather - or more than - normal cells.

Chemo is improving all the time as more and better drugs are discovered. Recently I visited my GP, who was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma - a bad diagnosis. After chemo she is back at work looking great. For how long no-one knows, but so far so good.

There are times when you know you will not beat the disease - it is said that when the German general Rommel saw the Allied invasion fleet in 1944, he knew the war was lost. That didn't end the fighting - WWII lasted for well over a year after the invasion; Germany was not about to lay down and surrender. And in Iraq - we know that ISIS will eventually lose control of Mosul, as they did in Ramadi, but it will not be easy. That doesn't stop them fighting tooth and nail. No battle was ever lost because an army kept fighting; sometimes the odds are just overwhelming.

Worst case scenario is that chemo will slow down the disease and buy you an extra few years. If you were facing the prospect of leaving your family and loved ones I reckon you would grab any extra time you could.

Chemo does not kill people; sometimes it cannot eradicate the disease, and the cancer eventually wins. But it buys time. There are side effects, which are not pleasant, but it's a matter of weighing the benefit against the negative and risks. A choice between patient and doctor. And I for one respect and honour Doug's choice and wish him every success.

 

Hi Everybody!

We're at the last day of fundraising for iron Maiden!!!

We're just about $500 shy of our goal to hit 25K (22K raised by GFM to date and 2.5K raised by our Developer Item Auction). We're so clooooosseee!

I want to see this thing to completion, so if you're able to chip in a little extra today to help us climb the last hill together that would be incredible!

Thanks for all that you have done thus far! We're going to make it all the way for Doug!

-Thex


https://www.gofundme.com/dougs-chemo-relief-sota-cta


And remember, the Iron Maiden Holdings Auction starts tomorrow! All donors with a combined donation total of $100 are eligible to participate!

Don't forget to read the primer!

 

Yes, I have been involved in the medical cannabis field for the last few years now.
The advice comes from having attended a seminar on the subject with my companions in cannabis research.

You do not need to take my word for it, there is plenty of material available if you want to research it yourself. Perhaps start with the term 'endocannabanoid system'.

 

As you say, we are all aware of the unpleasant side effects, you cant deny the chemo devistates the patients body. There is no denying it, you arent even trying to, you are just considering them a fair risk for saving the patient. Sure, of course it is, it is also a poison that you would get arrested for giving to a healthy person. We continue, because the cancer would assumably kill the patient anyway, but nobody is pretending it is harmless. While chemo might be getting better, even just saying 'getting better' is telling me you know it has been pretty bad in the past. Maybe there will be a time when it is perfectly safe, now is not that time.

I certainly also respect the patients choice. If he already chose not to i was not aware. I would have thought given the chance to use cannabis he would choose to do so, I have known dozens of cancer sufferers and family in my work in medical cannabis and when they are dying they pretty much all want to try anything they can to save their lives. It doesnt matter who they are, police, politicians, pentacostal preachers, when their kid gets cancer they all come begging for cannabis oil. Sadly it is often too late for us to help by then. Cannabis helps your immune system, it is more like a vitamin than a medicine. It is best used early to help your body fight off the cancer, it cant magically turn back late stage cancers.

Thinking about it, I would prefer to discuss the issue elsewhere if people wanted. Here we are supporting a fund for a medical treatment the patient does still need. Lets just support that and argue another day.

 

3 HOURS LEFT -

$295 left to go!

Current Total: $24,705

https://www.gofundme.com/dougs-chemo-relief-sota-cta

 

Day 1 Auctions are LIVE -

Please visit the Aerie Fund Shoppe to see today's offerings!

Remember: we are verifying bidders so 1) please use your GoFundMe (Real Life) information when creating an account, and 2) do not bid anonymously. Unverified/non-eligible bids will be removed.

IMPORTANT NOTE: All auctions will be suspended on the 7th day after their listing at 8PM CST - this allows us to do one final audit to verify the auction's winner and integrity before sending out the congratz email. The countdown clock is only provided to demonstrate how many DAYS are left in the auction. The hours and minutes are meaningless, but cannot be removed. Again, all auctions will be suspended at 8PM CST on the end day of that auction.

Been working closely with Shroud Marketplace to ensure the integrity of these auctions are maintained. Special thanks to them for all the help. So far this morning, we've verified all current bidders.

Good luck and happy bidding!

-Thex

 

Keep updating the rest of us @Thexedor Markhamm this has been an incredible effort on your part and the supporters and coorganizers of this campaign. Whenever I think about how crappy the state of the world is, I visit this thread and am reminded on the power of generosity and caring of ordinary people. It gives me hope.

 

Day 2 Auctions are LIVE -

Please visit the Aerie Fund Shoppe to see today's offerings!

Remember: we are verifying bidders so 1) please use your GoFundMe (Real Life) information when creating an account, and 2) do not bid anonymously. Unverified/non-eligible bids will be removed.

IMPORTANT NOTE: All auctions will be suspended on the 7th day after their listing at 8PM CST - this allows us to do one final audit to verify the auction's winner and integrity before sending out the congratz email. The countdown clock is only provided to demonstrate how many DAYS are left in the auction. The hours and minutes are meaningless, but cannot be removed. Again, all auctions will be suspended at 8PM CST on the end day of that auction.

Been working closely with Shroud Marketplace to ensure the integrity of these auctions are maintained. Special thanks to them for all the help. So far this morning, we've verified all current bidders.

Good luck and happy bidding!

-Thex

 

I will! Promise. Right now I am working furiously to verify bidders to maintain the credibility of the Holding Auction.

I will say this, however, we have already far exceeded our $25K goal of helping Iron Maiden! I will expand on this more a bit later, and 2) tune into the Portalarium telethon on March 9th @ 5:30 CST. I will be on it, accepting an award for the over 400+ of us that made the IMCRF a success! For the first time, I will also unveil the GRAND TOTAL we raised with our GFM campaign, Developer Item Auction, and the Holdings Auction! I think everybody's gonna be blown away by this community's compassion and generosity.

Third, Iron Maiden is working on a letter of thanks that I will post, followed by some personal reflections of my own had during this amazing process. Once things settle down a tad, I'll post those as well.

Fourth, all of my costume pieces have arrived so expect my 5 mile costume run stretch goal video to *finally* air next Monday.

So, yes, lot's going on. We're not done yet, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel for sure! Keep your head up, Numa! This isn't the ending, but only the beginning of the good works we're going to do in New Britannia!

-Thex

 

Day 3 Auctions are LIVE -

Please visit the Aerie Fund Shoppe to see today's offerings!

Remember: we are verifying bidders so 1) please use your GoFundMe (Real Life) information when creating an account, and 2) do not bid anonymously. Unverified/non-eligible bids will be removed.

IMPORTANT NOTE: All auctions will be suspended on the 7th day after their listing at 8PM CST - this allows us to do one final audit to verify the auction's winner and integrity before sending out the congratz email. The countdown clock is only provided to demonstrate how many DAYS are left in the auction. The hours and minutes are meaningless, but cannot be removed. Again, all auctions will be suspended at 8PM CST on the end day of that auction.

Been working closely with Shroud Marketplace to ensure the integrity of these auctions are maintained. Special thanks to them for all the help.

Good luck and happy bidding!

-Thex

 

(Here's the latest update I posted on GoFundMe - has some pertinent info, so thought I'd share it here, too.)

Hi Everybody,

As this amazing fundraising effort draws to a close, I wanted to send out a 'housekeeping' update to our hundreds of donors. Specifically, I wanted to address reward status and the process for claiming the rewards that you may have qualified for.

1. IMCRF Cloak - in-game Shroud of the Avatar Reward. This reward is for donors who pledged $25 dollars or more during this campaign. To receive your cloak, you must friend/contact me (IGN: Thexedor Markhamm) in-game and I will meet you to deliver the cloak. These cloaks are not delivered via bank drop.

2. NTRPGCon Pass - this includes 1 pass to Doug's North Texas RPG Convention. The NTRPG Con focuses on old-school Dungeons & Dragons gaming and ANY other tabletop RPG games. For more information on the NTRPGCon, including dates, venue, etc, please visit: http://ntrpgcon.com. To reserve your pass, please email Doug directly: IronMaiden@MedievalGames.com. This reward is for donors who pledged $50 or more.

3. Iron Maiden Holdings Auction - this auction is for the majority of Iron Maiden's Holdings in Shroud of the Avatar. Those who donated $100 or more are eligible to participate. This auction is going on right NOW, and will last until the final auctions close on Sunday, March 5th @ 8PM CST. To view/bid on auctions currently available, please visit:

https://www.shroudmarketplace.com/shops/aeriefund/

For rules, format and eligibility, please visit:

https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...ns-holdings-auction-primer-eligibility.80395/

Important note: all auctions will be closing at 8PM CST on the day they are scheduled to end so we can verify and audit the results to ensure eligibility.

Finally, for donors whom gave with no interest or use in these rewards, I offer a sincere THANK YOU. You've helped us get this far and your compassion is notable and appreciated. You're making a real difference in Doug's life.

Thanks everybody!

-Thex